Bad Bunny to Headline 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show
Image courtesy of Billboard.
By Griffin Cappiello
Last Sunday, the National Football League (NFL) announced that Latin superstar Bad Bunny would headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show. The Super Bowl will take place on February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
The Super Bowl is regularly one of the most-watched television programs of the year; over 130 million people tuned in to watch last year’s halftime show, which featured rapper Kendrick Lamar.
“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” Bad Bunny said in a statement. “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history.”
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, was born in Puerto Rico and quickly rose to fame through hit songs such as “MÍA,” Cardi B’s “I Like It,” “Tití Me Preguntó,” and “DtMF.” Throughout his career, he has three Grammys, with two wins for best música urbana album for Un Verano Sin Ti and El Último Tour Del Mundo, and a win for best Latin pop or urban album for YHLQMDLG. He was the third-most streamed artist globally in 2024 and the most-streamed artist from 2020 to 2022.
This will not be Bad Bunny’s first halftime show appearance; he previously performed as a special guest during Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s co-headlined halftime show in 2020 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Roc Nation, an entertainment and sports company founded by rapper Jay-Z, will be producing the Super Bowl halftime show for the seventh year in a row.
“What Benito has done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring,” Jay-Z said in a statement. “We are honored to have him on the world’s biggest stage.”
Bad Bunny recently finished a 31-show residency in San Juan, Puerto Rico and is preparing to begin a tour for his latest album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. His tour, however, did not include any performances in the United States. In an interview with i-D magazine, he shared that he feared fans at his concerts could be targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). However, minutes before announcing his halftime show appearance, he posted on X that “after discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do one show in the United States.”
The decision to have Bad Bunny headline the halftime show has not exactly been popular among conservative politicians. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson was critical of the selection.
“I don’t even know who Bad Bunny is,” Johnson said in an interview. “It sounds like a terrible decision.”
President Donald Trump also criticized the decision.
“I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it — it’s, like, crazy,” Trump said in an interview. “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Turning Point USA, a conservative media non-profit founded by the late Charlie Kirk, recently announced that they will host an alternative to the regular Super Bowl halftime show: “The All-American Halftime Show.” Specific details of this event, such as the artists who will be performing, have yet to be announced.
Bad Bunny, who is in fact an American citizen, responded to this criticism when he hosted the season premiere of Saturday Night Live this past weekend.
“Especially all the Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors,” he said in Spanish. “It’s more than a win for myself, it’s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one will ever be able to take it away or erase it.”
He also teased non-Spanish speakers, suggesting that they learn Spanish before his halftime performance.
“If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn,” the artist encouraged.
The Super Bowl will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.
